To The Letter

I have been going back and forth, and back again about whether the flower centers should be muslin or red.  You can see them both in this photo:

I have taken them off, put them on and now I have finally decided:  I am making them red like in the borders.  Final!

Okay, even a hardened dog owner like me gets a little nervous when this happens!  Look at the tension under the paw -

Okay, now the lettering.  I decided I wanted this quilt to be all hand done by me.  So I drew my own lettering.

This is how I work.  Using freezer paper  I start with a rough style and size and just keep adjusting (not starting over) until it looks right.   Then I cut them out.

Here is my date, a little smaller than my initials.

I use a ruler to line up the bottom line, then I hand baste.  They are not perfect, but then neither am I.

Consider adding a little of your own personal style to a special quilt.

Dear friends,

I'm so embarrassed and confused, as I cannot show you any progress on my little baskets project...

Actually, we've been living some stressful events, lately, with first my mother-in-law who passed away last September - she was like a mother to me - and then our beloved eldest daughter (35 years old) who had a stroke and 2 pulmonar embolis... This was like thunder in a blue sky to us - she's so very young ...  Of course, she needs our help in daily organization (our grandson is 7 years old), so that she can rest as much as possible.
She's now slowly recovering - not so easy for such a hyper-active young lady, to accept the slowing down - and we're praying that the worse is behind us...

I've been handpiecing some new baskets in-between my spare times,( but nothing consistent as to report any picture), as well as finishing a small Xmas panel that I had promised to our grandson.

I 'm now focusing on the New-year to come, hoping that some real quilt progress will be done, and also that you will excuse me for my "absence" on this beautiful Blog.  Please know that I'm still with you all, and that I'm admiring your works - as always ;>)

Thanks for your kind understanding, see you soon !

Heartful thoughts from my little corner,

NADINE

Power Outage Sewing

Hello!  I spent my power outage days by sewing on my Jubilee project.

I designed the first border without a pattern, but decided I wanted a mirror image of it for the second border.

I taped the first one to my back door and traced the design.

After the pencil tracing I used a black sharpie

Viola'

I work on my ironing board (to save my lower back) with a cutting mat.   Yes, I really do use a lot of pins!

a LOT of pins.

I machine baste my stems and vine on the machine. 

This makes the applique a joy to do!

After many hours of sewing, I'm almost done with the second border.  Looking forward to designing the top and bottom borders next.  I think I'll do them at the same time!

 

Please let us know how your Jubilee project is coming!